Breadcrumbs

Aggregate and Industrial Minerals

Location and volume of limestone and sand and gravel aggregate reserves in Texas.

Due to the current population growth and rapid urbanization, the use of construction materials has increased significantly. This recent boom in construction has also significantly increased the demand for aggregate. To meet the demand, new sources of aggregate are being explored and new aggregate quarries are being developed.

Aggregate is a mostly nonrenewable natural resource, but research is being conducted with an emphasis on using aggregates in a more sustainable manner. Recycled aggregates, industry waste, and new sources of aggregates are being used in the construction industry. However, alternate sources of aggregates represent only a small percentage of the total aggregate need. As a result, reserves of natural aggregates are being depleted rapidly in some areas of the state. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, 30% of aggregate is used for highway construction. Although natural aggregate sources are widely distributed throughout Texas, they are not universally suitable for consumption. In many cases the local aggregate sources do not meet the required organizational aggregate specifications (e.g. TxDOT requirements for different types of road construction). Rapid expansion of residential, industrial, and commercial areas and increasingly stringent environmental regulations have begun limiting aggregate mining, particularly in and around urban areas. In areas where acceptable quality aggregate is not locally available, it may become necessary to improve the quality of local aggregates, to import aggregates from outside sources, or to use artificial aggregates instead of local aggregates. Therefore, it is important for research to study these materials, how and where we use them, and develop policies for aggregate use and strategies for ensuring adequate future aggregate supplies. Where end use applications for aggregates overlap with the large Texas energy industry base, research collaborations exist with CEE and other BEG programs for trends, activity and future developments.

Research topics include:

Resource analysis

Geologic mapping of aggregate resources

Mapping geologic setting of the aggregate used in Texas (including surrounding states and Mexico)

Quantifying aggregate reserve and overburden

Calculating the volume and tonnage of aggregate reserve, calculate overburden volume that will be removed to extract the resource, create an economic mineral resource model showing economics of increasing depth, expanding horizontally, and permitting costs and restrictions for mining below the ground water level and near ground water bodies

Mapping favorability for extraction

Mapping proximity to end users, transportation infrastructure, metropolitan areas, and other characteristics like resource quality and stripping ratio to build a combined map of new favorable mining sites in Texas